Feeling
by MadLadyFenolo
Summary: Athaya was never a normal girl. Gifted with heightened awareness of feelings (almost seer-like), this strange 16 year old girl from the Sunshine Coast has business to attend to of the deal-making sort. Business with a certain demon king, who is pleasantly surprised by the brilliant mind and character of the child he makes a deal with. Then she grows up...Possible romance later on
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own anything related to the wonderful **_Supernatural _**series. Only the box set of the first eight seasons J Alas, I only my own characters and plot line.

An: This is my first published fanfic ever, so please be nice! And feel free to review and tell me if I'm doing anything horrendously taboo etc. This is first set prior to **_Season One_**, but then progresses to somewhere during **_Season One_** and then **_Two_**.

**Feelings:**

Chapter One:

_– 8 Years Ago –_

The king of the crossroads popped into existence somewhere off the Sunshine Coast of Australia. The T-junction was one of the nicer ones he'd seen, as the humid weather allowed all sorts of jungle-dwelling plants to grow freely and beautifully. If he looked to the East, he could see the famed Barrier Reef, and if it had been light, he fancied he would almost be able to make out some of the areas covered in coral. That being said, the bright blue water glistened black in the night, and a warm breeze stirred the waves into gentle lolling motions across the sandy beach.

But that wasn't what Crowley was looking at.

The demon was looking at the waif of a girl that stood before him, shivering despite the warm climate, looking as though she might fall over if the wind blew the wrong way.

'Sorry, love. I don't do kids.' Crowley said and turned to leave when the girl's voice spoke out, louder and stronger than he expected.

'You'll do me.' She said bravely, no fear in her voice.

Crowley stopped mid-turn and spun to face her. 'And why would I do that?'

'Because a storm's coming. And not the kind that you're going to like.'

Crowley had the distinct feeling she wasn't talking about the weather, but he feigned ignorance.

'It's a beautiful night. I don't see any clouds, do you?' He gestured towards the sky with one hand, but the girl didn't even look up.

'As storm is coming, and you're a demon. I thought you'd like to know. Demons are in the self-preservation business, are they not?' The girl's question seemed genuinely curious and Crowley started shaking his head slightly. He looked down at freshly dug hole in the middle of the road and sighed.

'Who taught you how to do that?' He said, trying to change the topic.

'I did.'

'How?' No human would just _know _how to summon a crossroads demon. It wasn't in their nature.

'It just…felt right.' The girl said with a small shrug and Crowley frowned. That didn't seem right to him.

'And I'm the king of hell, pleasure to meet you.' He said sarcastically. 'Now, how did you figure that out?' he pointed once again to the mound on the ground and the girl looked at him stoically.

'I just told you. It felt right. But that doesn't matter.'

'Why doesn't it matter?'

'Because I'm going to make a deal with you. That's all you care about, right?'

'Listen, darling, you've got the wrong demon. I don't do children.'

'I'm sixteen. And like I keep saying: you'll make a deal with _me_.'

Crowley started to wonder why he had stuck around for so long. It seemed like a never-ending loop with this girl.

'Whatever. What's your name?'

'Athaya.'

'Pretty name.'

'Thanks. But I'm not here to talk pleasantries, and neither are you.'

'Oh?' Crowley said, surprised at the girl's pluck. 'Am I not?'

'No. Because that would be a waste of your time.'

'You seem to know a lot about me.' Crowley said suspiciously. 'Is this some kind of trap?' He glanced around at the surrounding foliage and grimaced. Anything could be hiding in there.

'No. Why would I make a trap? You're just a demon.' Athaya said crisply and Crowley bristled.

'I happen to be king of the crossroads, love.'

The girl looked slightly taken aback. 'You're the _king_ of the crossroads? As in king of the demons who make deals?'

'Sounds about right.'

'Oh. Well then that's even more intriguing.'

'Intriguing? I'm sorry. I thought I was here to make a deal. Now I'm _intriguing_?' He said sceptically.

'Of course you are. You're a demon,' Athaya said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 'It's utterly fascinating.' She gazed at him intently and Crowley found himself slightly uncomfortable under the girl's scrutiny.

'You know, for and Australian, you're a lot less…' Crowley searched for a word to describe what he generally thought Australians were like and came up with nothing.

'Bogan?' Athaya offered and Crowley chuckled.

'Yes. You're a lot less _bogan_.'

'Well that's because we actually _don't_ spend most of our time riding kangaroos in flip-flops and wearing cork hats.' Athaya said with a grin.

Again, Crowley laughed. 'No. I can't really picture you doing any of those things. You're much too…fragile looking.'

Athaya glared at him momentarily. 'Thanks. I happen to be slightly unwell at the moment.'

'How so?' Perhaps that's what she wanted from him? Maybe she was sick.

'I haven't been sleeping well. Nightmares mostly. I lost my appetite a couple of days ago.'

No wonder the girl looked like a twig. Lack of sleep could do that to a person. 'You really should eat something.'

'Probably. But I just didn't have time. Between not feeling hungry and trying to figure out how to summon a demon from scratch, I was a bit hard pressed for it.'

'Why was there a time limit?'

Athaya tilted her head to the side. '_Is_. There still is one. I need to make a deal before sunrise. And I can guarantee you I _will_ have made one before this conversation ends.'


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:**** So...this is the second chapter. Sorry about the shortness of the first one, but the second one is here ASAP (and it's waaay longer)! I'm not one hundred percent sure of the level of romance in this fanfic, but I don't think anything will happen for a while (sorry!) at least not until the story has progressed a little more.**

~Fen~

Chapter Two:

Crowley laughed at her. 'And how do you know that?'

'I can feel it.'

Crowley arched an eyebrow sceptically. 'You _feel_ it?'

'Yes. Just like I felt how to make the summoning. I feel a storm's coming. I can feel that you're going to come to great power in the wake of said storm and I can feel that now…you're curious.'

'You think I'm going to come to great power?' Crowley said doubtfully, but something inside him stirred. What if this kid was for real? She was probably playing him, just so he'd make the deal for whatever selfish thing she wanted. He didn't think she was sick anymore. Just determined. She was probably just messing with him, but something told him to hear her out.

'Trust me. Something's going to happen – don't ask me what – but you're going to move up in the world.'

'Right. And I should take your word because you feel it?'

'Yes,' Athaya said without a doubt. 'Now back to my original point: deal making. What exactly…are the terms of the deal?'

'What terms?' Crowley said innocently 'I don't know anything about any terms.' Perhaps if he remained elusive, she'd give up.

'Don't give me that. You're king of the crossroads, remember?'

_Damn._ She'd paid attention to that. 'Fine. Let's just say theoretically…_theoretically_ if one were to make a deal, the obliging crossroads demon would give the foolish human whatever they wanted.'

'In return for what? You're not telling me that the demons get nothing out of doing this.'

'True. In return for the favour, the human promises their soul to the demon. After a period of time – standard time being ten years – the human's soul is legally a possession of hell and it goes there.'

'To hell?' Athaya asked dubiously.

'Yes, to hell. Most people try to resist and we have to send hellhounds after them to drag their sorry asses downstairs. Everyone seems to think they can outrun them. They never even see them coming. Literally. Hellhounds are invisible to humans.'

'Hellhounds?' The girl said and she wrapped her slender arms around herself, as if to stop herself from blowing away. 'Why would people try to escape their fate? They knew what they were getting into. If they're going to end up dead anyways, why not go the less painful path and just…die? I assume you die when your soul goes to hell, yes?'

'Correct,' Crowley said, but he had only partially paid attention to her last question. It was what she'd said before that… 'You know, Athaya, that's exactly what we all ask ourselves. _Why_ does everybody think they can run? _Why_ do they always think they can cheat the devil?'

She frowned. 'It seems idiotic,' she said quietly. Crowley smiled. He was liking this girl more and more. 'So…how _do_ you die if you don't run?' She asked suddenly. Crowley was caught slightly off-guard by the harshness of her words.

He shrugged, 'I dunno…Nobody's ever really asked that question before. Usually we just agree to come for them in ten years and then we send hellhounds after them.'

'Well…ever thought that perhaps people always run because they're expecting a demon? Not a hellhound? At least with a demon, they know who to expect. I'd rather have a demon kill me than some invisible monster.' The girl swayed slightly in the wind and shifted on her feet slightly, as if embarrassed by the question.

'Huh. Never thought about it like that. Good point. Doesn't mean we'll change.'

Athaya shrugged like it was no big deal. 'I don't expect you to. But…' she looked out across the ocean briefly and the cloud cover broke momentarily, bathing the girl in silver moonlight as her hair blew in the wind. Crowley was struck by how pretty she was. She'd grow up to be beautiful. Her dark russet coloured hair almost looked red where the light shone through it and Crowley noticed that her eyes were a stormy grey. She pulled her loose green cardigan around her tighter and turned to face him. 'I want to know all the specifics.'

Crowley was once again caught off-guard. 'All…of them? There's quite a lot of paperwork involved…'

'And I'm sure you've explained the conditions to countless others, so it shouldn't be a problem for you, should it?' She said boldly.

'Sweetheart, I know every single detail of the deal back-to-front and upside-down. Whether my _clients_ knew about them…well…let's just say they never really want to know the particulars.'

Athaya looked outraged. 'Why not? It's their lives on the line! How could they just ignore the essential facts?'

'Because most people don't _want_ to know what they're getting into. We're demons, darling. It's scary business working with something you don't understand.'

Athaya still looked confused. 'Well then how do you usually make deals?'

'Usually? We just give them what they want, they promise their souls and we kiss to seal the deal.'

'A kiss? Is that a bit romanticised?'

'Not at all. What can we say? We get a kick out of making humans squirm.'

'Delightful.' Athaya stifled a yawn and shook her head to clear any thoughts of sleep away. 'And how many deals do you guys make a day? Worldwide?'

'Darling, I can't give away _all_ our secrets.'

'That few, huh?' Athaya said sadly and shook her head. 'My heart goes out to you. You guys must really have trouble finding people to condemn to hell.'

Crowley bristled at her words. 'One million. One million a day, at least.'

Athaya felt cold spikes travel throughout her body. So many. 'That…' she swallowed, 'That many?'

Crowley smiled coldly. 'It's all part of the business.'

'But that's…that's 365 _million_ people a year! Not forgetting to take into account varying statistics. Natural disasters, economic crises, political catastrophes? With the way our world is going, and all the people who have problems they want fixed, you must be increasing in souls by thousands every year. Probably millions!' Athaya had started pacing now, walking back and forth along the dirt road. It was more like she was talking to herself than to Crowley and he frowned slightly.

'Hey, relax. It's just the way of the world, Athaya. It's like you said: people know what they're getting into.'

She spun to face him, her face stained with tears for people whose souls had been lost. 'Then why do they run?' she asked simply.

Crowley didn't know what to say. He had to admit, when the conversation started, in no way had he seen it coming to this. 'Because they're scared. That's what people do when they're scared. They run.'

Athaya took a deep, shaking breath and let it out. 'Fine,' she said after a while. 'Do I get to choose how I die?'

Crowley blinked in confusion. It was one extreme to the next with this girl. 'Uh…if you were to make a deal, I guess so…'

'Interesting. So…if I – theoretically – wanted to die astride a unicorn, riding off into the sunset when a pterodactyl swoops down and eats me…that could happen? I could choose anything?'

Crowley looked at her strangely. 'Whatever floats your boat, I guess. You're a bit strange. Has anybody every told you that?'

Athaya smiled at him genuinely. 'All the time. What's the point in being normal when you can be different?'

Crowley smiled slightly. 'True, true. But back to your previous point: yes. You can die however you want. It might not literally be on a unicorn, or with a pterodactyl, but it would somehow work out that way.'

'Like…say I was at a museum, and I was walking along and somehow I ended up on the back of a stuffed horse and then there's an earthquake and a piece of glass flies through the air and lands in the horse's forehead…that would make it a unicorn. And then a pterodactyl model falls down from the ceiling and kills me. Something like that, yeah?' She looked slightly breathless after her long speech and her eyes were bright with excitement.

Crowley shook his head in amazement. 'You have the most intriguing imagination.'

'Thank you.' Athaya said, but didn't miss a beat. 'So basically any way I want, I could die? I'm not saying I want to die like that. I wouldn't. That's ridiculous. But any way?'

'Yes, basically…'

'What about the time in between now and then? Would I be safe from harm?'

'What do you mean?' The girl was hopping from subject to subject like a frog. It was almost hard for Crowley to keep up with.

'I mean if I were to get hit by a bus, I wouldn't die, right? I'd survive the ten years in between.

'I should get you on speed dial. You're quite brilliant. I've never met anyone who's ever asked that before.'

'Ever?'

'Ever in my life. And I've been around for a few centuries.'

'Really? You're not looking too bad for it.' Athaya said as she scrutinised him once again. This time, Crowley had grown slightly used to her eccentricity and ignored her gaze.

'Thank you. I'm possessing the body of a writer from New York.'

'With an English accent?'

'I'm Scottish, traditionally.' He paused and then added: 'And you don't think there are English people in New York? Hell, sometimes I think there are more English people in New York than in _England_.'

Athaya laughed and nodded. 'I suppose so. I guess you're right.'

'Of course I'm right. I'm Crowley.'

'You're who?'

Crowley realised he hadn't actually introduced himself. 'Many apologies. I'm Crowley, king of the crossroads.'

Athaya curtsied slightly and gained another smile from the demon. 'Nice to meet you.'

'The pleasure is all mine.'

'It is, actually. I can tell. You've decided to let me make a deal.'

Crowley froze. 'How did you…?'

'I _felt _it. Remember?'

'Yeah…you couldn't be normal if you tried, could you?'

Athaya shook her head in mock sadness. 'Nope. Not even a little bit.'

But there was something more to this. She was absolutely spot on. He was going to let her make a deal. For several reasons. How did she know about his decision to let her?

'You said you feel things…what kind of things?'

'Well…anything, really. Humans are creatures of feelings, so there's a lot of things associated with them in life. I know what's right or wrong, morally and literally. I can tell when something good or bad is going to happen…that kind of stuff. My entire life, I feel like I've been tuning into feeling things. And my entire life…well. It doesn't matter.'

'What doesn't matter?'

'I just…I've felt like something bad has been with me my entire life. A shadow of some kind. I don't know what, but I think I'm going to find out very soon.'

'How soon?'

'Before you leave.'

'That's not…normal. You shouldn't be able to sense those kind of things…' Crowley was slightly concerned. The level of this girl's awareness to not only her own, but other peoples' feelings was ridiculous.

'I know. And now you're going to help me find out.'

Was that what the girl wanted? To find out what the darkness was? That didn't seem very fair. To trade her soul only to find out what horrible secret was about to be exposed…But she _did_ say that she'd find out before he left.

'Alright. I'm trying to think. What could cause you to have heightened awareness to feelings?'

'I have no idea. That's why I'm asking you.'

Crowley corrected her, 'But you haven't asked me. _I_ asked me.'

'Same difference. I'm asking you now.'

'That you are. Fine…what could cause that kind of anomaly?' Crowley asked himself and concentrated on going through different possibilities in his mind, sorting them out into different categories. _Vampire, werewolf, ghost…No. Seer? Possible. Oracle? Maybe. Some kind of god? Also maybe. Past angel possession? If she'd been possessed she might experience side-effects like this. Demon? No._

_ Wait._

Crowley felt cold. 'Athaya…I…think I know what it is…'


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:**** Hi! Here's the next chapter, as promised. I hope you enjoy it, and I want to thank everyone who's taken the time to read/ review my story. It makes my day!**

**Chapter Three:**

Athaya looked at him hopefully, 'What? What is it?'

Crowley swallowed, 'This might seem like an odd question…but…is your mother dead?'

The girl's expression went blank and she grew very still. 'Why…what does that have to do with anything?'

'Oh…nothing…Doesn't matter.' Crowley inwardly cringed. She was one of Azazel's lot.

'Yes it does. Don't lie to me, I can tell.' She said harshly and walked right up to him. He refused to look at her, instead staring out to the sea.

'When did she die?' He asked quietly.

'When…I was a baby.'

'In a fire?'

Athaya grabbed his arm and pulled him so he faced her. 'How? How did you know that?'

'Because…you're not human. Not completely, anyway.'

'What?' She let go of his arm and took a step back. 'What are you talking about? Of course I'm…' Realisation dawned on her face as her special ability told her what she didn't want to hear. 'No. I'm not.' Once again the clouds cleared to shine light down on her face and Crowley noticed for the first time – now that she was so close – that her eyes were slightly glazed.

Then they cleared.

'No…I'm not human…am I?' She looked at him sadly, but Crowley couldn't quite get over what had just happened.

'Your eyes…they just…'

She shook her head distractedly, 'Yeah. It happens when I feel something.'

_Ah. _'You…When you were a baby…a yellow-eyed demon killed your mother and gave you some of his blood.'

Her face went pale. 'When you say 'gave'…'

'I mean…made you drink…yes. You've got demon blood in you, sweetheart.'

Athaya sank to the ground and rested on her heels. She looked like she was about to throw up.

'I don't…feel so great.'

Crowley crouched down next to her. 'Hey. You need to focus and stay with me. If you're one of his lot, then he'll come for you. I don't know when…but he will.'

'Who's _he_?' Athaya said and looked up at Crowley hopelessly.

'His name…is Azazel.'

'Azazel? He's the one who did this to me?'

'Yes.' Crowley felt like he should show some kind of sympathy, even though it wasn't really in his nature. 'I'm…sorry.'

'No, you're not. Not really. You don't know how to be sorry. You've forgotten.'

_Damn_ this girl was good. He stood up and offered her a hand. 'Alright,' he said as she took it and let herself be lifted up. 'I'm going to make a deal with you.'

'Really?' Athaya said, astonishment in her wide grey eyes.

'Yes.'

'Why?'

'Because if this demon finds you, your life will be truly cocked up. I think you should at least have something good in it, now that you're gonna have _this_ hanging over your head for the next few years. I figure I can at least give you that, at least.'

Hope blossomed across Athaya's features, 'Thank you so much!' Her head darted towards Crowley's own and before he knew what had happened, she had pecked him on the cheek softly. When she pulled back, she was blushing slightly, but he thought it was more flushed with excitement at his agreeing to help.

He laughed softly and nodded. 'There's more than one reason as to why I'm agreeing to help you, by the way. I told you earlier I don't make a habit of working with children.' He held up his hands as though he expected her to protest. 'Yes, I _know_ you're a teenager – an entire _sixteen years old_ – '

'I wasn't going to say anything.' Athaya interrupted quickly and then let him continue.

Crowley raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. 'Anyway, I don't usually do kids because they don't know what they're getting into. They want something, think they'll live forever and hell to the consequences. Literally. But you're different. You actually seem to know what's going on here, and that's more than most people understand. You're unique. I like that. It's good to see. In fact – I reckon you'd make a brilliant demon.'

Athaya's eyes widened slightly and she blinked a few times. 'Er…thanks?' She warily accepted what she felt was a compliment and smiled uncertainly.

'It _is_ a compliment, darling, not an insult.'

'Ah. Then…thank you,' she said sincerely. 'But…there's something else…'

'What do you mean?'

'There's another reason you're going to make a deal with me, isn't there?'

Crowley shook his head in amazement. 'Nothing gets past you, does it?'

'Not lately, no.'

'Well…I'd be lying if I said I didn't want your soul. You seem like an incredibly valuable asset. I could make use of you.'

'You? I thought souls went straight to hell.'

'Well that depends on who you are…and I do seem to recall a certain girl mentioning my ascent to power earlier, yes?'

'Uh…yeah. I did say that. You mean…'

'I mean…_if_ I'm in the position to do so…I'll do my best to make sure you don't end up on the torture rack. Maybe an office job, handling complaints,' he said with a grin.

'They have those?'

'How do you think Lucy keeps everyone in order?'

'Lucy? As in…'

'Lucifer, yes. He's real. As real as you and me, and a bit of a prick, actually.'

'Oh, really? Why does that not surprise me? The devil being a jerk? An everyday occurrence.' Athaya said with a sarcastic shrug of her slim shoulders.

'Quite right. But anyway…that's my promise to you. If I can do it, I'll try to keep you safe.'

'Thanks…but…' Athaya looked up at him with a sly grin, 'How do I know you're telling the truth?' She knew he was, but felt like teasing him.

'Because we're going to write it down as one of the conditions in your deal, of course.' Crowley swiftly pulled a scroll of paper out of his jacket and waved it in front of Athaya's nose good-naturedly.

She grinned and reached out to grab it but the king of the crossroads held it back. 'Uh-uh. Demon handles all the details. Girl gets to sit there and tell him what to write.'

Her smile didn't fade even a little. 'Fine. Do you want to do this here? Or perhaps somewhere you can write?'

'Yes…a table _would_ be preferable.' Crowley looked around as if searching for one and Athaya laughed.

'It's not like one's just going to turn up.' No sooner had she spoken, when Crowley grabbed her arm and they found themselves standing in a completely different room. It appeared to be an office of sorts, with bookshelves lining the walls and a large, beautiful desk in the centre of the room.

'What? What just happened? Where are we?' Athaya stumbled away from him and used the wall for support momentarily before straightening.

'Step into my office, love.' Crowley gestured around and Athaya grinned.

'This is yours? You certainly have nice taste, I'll give you that.'

'Have you seen my suit? Of course I have good taste.' He sat down in the large leather chair behind the desk and indicated that Athaya take a seat in the smaller one opposite him.

'Where are we?' She asked curiously.

'My place, like I said.'

She smiled knowingly, 'Yes, I know _that_, but where is your place?'

'Ah. Afraid I can't say. A demon's got to keep up some form of mystique.'

'Not even the country?'

'Sorry, darling. Not even that.' He shifted slightly, crossing one leg over the other and scanning over the deal specifics until he came to a spot where he thought it best to make an adjustment.

'So…' Athaya said, glancing around the impressive room before finally letting her eyes rest back on Crowley. 'What changes do we have to make?'

'Only a few, really. I've already gotten rid of anything that could potentially be deemed 'unfair' by you.'

'Oh?' Athaya leant forward to try and read the script upside-down. 'And what exactly have you taken away?'

'Any clauses involving the accidental death of your good self, in which you would ordinarily come to hell immediately. Those are gone. You'll live for however long the allotted time states.'

'And?' Athaya said expectantly, 'What else?'

'Oi. Watch it, cheeky.' He growled with a smile. Crowley had produced a pen and put the lid in between his teeth as he scanned the document. 'Let's see…any involvement or connection to hellhounds whatsoever. That should make you happy.' He spoke around the lid and then scribbled something out.

Athaya smiled in relief. 'Thanks.'

After another minute of writing, Crowley took the pen lid out of his mouth. 'Well…it _is_ only a standard soul deal, so there's not a lot I _can_ change without drawing attention to it…but I can probably do one last thing.'

'What thing?' Athaya said, giving up on reading upside down and pulled her chair around the other side so she could lean over Crowley's left arm and peer at the deed.

'I know we haven't discussed this…but as you know, the standard time for a deal is ten years. After that amount of time has passed, the soul of the client comes directly to hell, one way or another…' Crowley trailed off as he read some fine print and Athaya frowned. They'd discussed the years, if only briefly.

'We talked about it.'

'Yes, but not _your_ set time. We talked about others', but never your specific date with the devil.'

'Oh. I assumed it would just be the standard ten years.' Athaya felt the first prickles of worry travel along her spine. Was he trying to trick her? He was a demon.

She let her senses take over for a moment and lost track of time, space, sounds and her surroundings. When she came back to reality, only a millisecond had passed, but she'd seen enough to know he wasn't tricking her.

'Normally it _would_ be…' Crowley continued, not even noticing his client's momentarily lapse. 'But now that we know Azazel will be coming for you…'

Athaya shivered. Now she finally had a name to put to the horrible darkness that had been plaguing her for her entire life. Always hovering, right above her, but never close enough for her to see. She felt that now she knew its name, it had drifted even closer, and she dreaded the day when the yellow-eyed demon would finally come to call.

'Perhaps…we should make an amendment.' Crowley continued, oblivious to Athaya's dark thoughts. She shook them from her mind and looked at the demon inquisitively.

'What amendment?' There was no accusation in Athaya's voice, only interest.

'When he comes to find you – which he will – your life will never be the same. And most definitely not for the better.'

'What do you suggest I do?'

'Well…first, I would have suggested you figure out how to kill demons, but that would never pan out. No offence, love, but you aren't exactly the toughest looking creature.'

'_Thanks_.' Athaya sent a tiny glare at him but didn't say anything else. He was trying to help her, even if that meant he insulted her occasionally.

'So…what I _can_ do for you…is make your remaining years adjustable.'

'What do you mean?'

'Unfortunately, I have no idea what he would want with you. All I know is there's a whole bunch of you guys.'

Athaya started, 'Wait. You mean there are other people like me…kids? With demon blood?'

'Exactly. I don't know who, but that's the word at the moment.'

'What would he want us for?'

'I have no idea, darling. If he makes any more of you, though, I'd guess an army.'

'An army? That's…terrifying.' Again, Athaya shivered at the thought of the demon who had her life planned out before him. She would have no say in it. That was for certain.

'Yes. Can you imagine it?' Crowley put the pen down momentarily and looked at her. 'And entire army made out of humans with extraordinary powers. He could destroy the world.'

'Well then, we don't let him.' Athaya said bravely, the defiance clear across her features.

Crowley smiled. 'That's not your immediate problem. We'll get to that chicken when it hatches.'

'Nice idiom,' Athaya said with a smirk, but then she sobered. 'Fine. What's my immediate problem?'

'Your immediate problem…' Crowley said as he picked the pen back up and started scanning the article once again, 'Is that he's going to make you wish you were dead.'

Athaya didn't even bat an eye. 'I get that feeling. And I don't mean in a demon-blood way. I mean he sounds like that kind of person.'

'Trust me. He is. My point is…' Crowley wanted to approach the subject as delicately as possible, and thought he'd been doing quite a good job so far, but Athaya had noticed and interrupted his chain of thought.

'Out with it, Crowley.' She said, slightly worried. 'What's such a horrible idea that you've spent the past five minutes skirting around it?'

_Fine._ 'Okay.' He put the pen down once again and stared directly into Athaya's eyes. 'I'm thinking we make your deal advantageous to you, so that when Azazel comes for you, your soul comes to hell – and hopefully _me_ – effective immediately.'

Athaya paused for a moment. 'Wait…so you're saying that when…Azazel shows up…you'll just spirit away my soul?'

'That should keep you safe from him, yes.'

'Should?' Athaya said doubtfully. She didn't doubt that he would try to help her, but whether he _could _was another matter entirely.

'It all depends on how much power I eventually get.' Crowley said reasonably and Athaya nodded.

'Right. Because then you can try to find me.' She stopped and thought for a moment. 'Being king of the crossroads doesn't help?'

'Unfortunately, His Royal Prick-ness Lucifer seems to have it out for demons. Or at least, that's the direction that his mind is turning to. I wouldn't count on him to be obliging in any way.'

'Right. But…I _do_ get the feeling you'll be quite powerful…' Athaya said with a slight frown. 'However…I understand what you're saying. I sign the deal, you give me what I want, then whenever Azazel comes for me – be it five years, ten or even a hundred – then my soul goes straight to hell.'

'Yes. And then I'll find you.'

Athaya smiled kindly. 'Are you sure you can make that promise? I'd understand if you couldn't.'

'Since when do promises matter to a demon?' Crowley asked as he raised an eyebrow.

'Since the demon I'm making a deal with is _you_. You value promises. I can tell.'

'Right…' Crowley chuckled slightly. 'I keep forgetting you're ESP.'

'Hey,' she flicked him on the arm lightly. 'Be nice.'

'Sorry, darling. That's not one of the conditions on our agreement,' he said with a smirk.

'We can change that. I haven't signed anything yet.'

'Indeed we could…' Crowley grew thoughtful. 'This is an awfully large amount of trouble that you've gone to for this deal here. It better be for something good.'

Athaya's smile only flickered briefly, but as she chose her next words carefully, Crowley's vanished altogether. After a moment, she slowly spoke. 'I…actually…don't know what I'm going to ask for yet.'


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:**** Sorry about the shortness of this chapter, the next one will be even shorter (gasp) but I promise I'll upload two at the same time next round! Hope you enjoy the story! xxx**

**~Fen~**

Chapter Four:

'What?' Crowley said softly, his voice dangerous. If this girl had been wasting his time…if she'd been taking him for a fool…

'Wait, let me explain!' Athaya said quickly and stood up, putting some distance between her and the irritated demon.

'Let you explain how you've been having me on? What was this, exactly?' Crowley stood up and glared at her, all thoughts of the deal gone. 'A chance to find out all you could about deals, so you could cheat one in the future? You're not happy with the conditions and decided this would be a good way to escape Azazel in the future? Christ,' Crowley ran his hand along his jawline. 'I even gave you that information myself!'

'No. It was none of that. How could you even suspect I would do something so foolish?' She said coldly. Athaya was angry now. Angry that he had so quickly picked her as a crook. She tossed her dark hair over her shoulders and stood up to her full, tall height. 'I don't know what I'm going to ask for yet, because nothing bad has happened. I told you that I'd make a deal before this conversation was over. Well it isn't over yet,_ is it_?' She almost shouted.

'So…you're _waiting_ for something bad to happen?' Crowley was less animated now, as he realised she might be telling the truth.

'Yes. I felt that something would happen before sunrise. Something that would be too much for me to cope with, and so I figured out how to summon a crossroads demon.' She said honestly, her shoulders slumped in defeat. If he was going to kill her, then he was going to kill her. There was nothing she could do about it. A few seconds ago, she'd felt his anger rise enough for him to do so, but now it had lowered slightly; as if it were simmering. But he still felt dangerous.

Crowley felt all the anger seep out of him and he sat back in the chair with a _thunk_. He shook his head slowly. 'Sorry. I just don't like it when people meddle with me. As you said wisely…it would be foolish.' He saw that the girl was telling the truth. She really didn't know because whatever catastrophe was going to occur hadn't happened yet.

'So…Athaya leant back against a bookshelf, crossing her arms defensively. 'Are we good?'

He stared at her evenly and she returned his gaze unflinchingly. She truly was strange. 'We're good.' He said after a moment.

She let out a sigh of relief and walked back over to her chair. 'Thank god! I was getting really worried there.' As she sat down, she smiled at Crowley and he realised that she had forgiven him.

'Me too. But then I realised you were too smart to make such a big mistake.'

She barked out a laugh. 'Hah. Thanks.' She frowned down at the long parchment and then blinked a few times. 'So…where were we?'

'I do believe we were just discussing the time period terms of our agreement.'

'Ah, yes. I remember. So…whenever Azazel comes to get me…I'll go straight to hell? It's hard to think that that's the preferable option. Going to hell.'

'It is a bit, isn't it?' he said quietly. 'Usually you'd be doing the opposite…'

'But not this time.' Athaya offered and Crowley nodded.

'Not this time…' Then he cleared his head and looked up at her. 'Now…should I fail to be powerful enough…I shall find you…at my nearest…convenience…when…I become so.' He wrote the words as he spoke them and Athaya was glad he was letting her see the deal papers. It made her feel like he trusted her, which was good, since she was trusting _him_ with her life and soul.

'So…that about covers it,' he said and looked up from the piece of paper. 'So just let me know when you _do_ figure out what it is that you want.'

Athaya smiled in gratitude but stopped when Crowley sighed. 'What? What is it?' She asked nervously.

'Nothing…I'm just hoping that I can somehow make this work. It isn't foolproof, you know.' He shook his head, 'I'd understand if you didn't want to go through with it.'

Athaya grabbed his arm and shook it slightly. 'Hey. Listen to me. I know _exactly_ what I'm getting into, unlike your other clients. I know this is a special deal, and one that you might not be able to deliver on for a while, possibly at all – if you can't find me. But I knew the risks as soon as I put that box with my photograph into the ground. This is my own decision. I know that everything will work out fine.'

'How? You feel it?' Crowley asked dubiously.

Athaya nodded confidently. 'I feel it,' she repeated.

Crowley relaxed and sank back into his chair, the seat creaking slightly as his weight shifted. 'So now we wait.'

'Yes…now we wait,' Athaya said calmly and folded her arms on the desk, leaning down to rest her head on them.

'Hey, princess, don't go falling asleep now. You don't want to give me an excuse to call you sleeping beauty, now, do you?'

'Well, unfortunately for me, it's sometime in the early morning. I haven't slept more than two hours in the last two days.'

'Yeesh. On second thought, maybe you should sleep.'

'Nah, I'm fine,' she mumbled into the crook of her elbow.

'Sure. Who are you trying to convince, darling? Me or you?'

Athaya lifted her head slightly to squint at Crowley curiously. 'Speaking of which…you weren't doing a very good job of convincing me I wanted to make a deal with you, king of the crossroads. I would have thought that was your expertise.'

'It is. I just wanted to make sure you completely knew the consequences of your young and impudent actions.'

'Well I do. Happy now?' She asked with a smirk.

'Surprisingly so. I've nearly completed a deal that will hopefully gain me one of the most interesting souls I've ever had the pleasure to meet.'

'My soul? The strange one?'

'Hah. Yes. That soul,' he laughed.

Crowley heard something chirp and Athaya sat bolt upright in her chair. 'Hold on. Give me a minute,' she said and pulled a vibrating phone out of her pocket and held it to her ear. She stood up and walked to the other side of the room, a look of deep concentration on her face.

'Hi…Uh, yeah. It's me. What is it?'

Crowley watched Athaya begin to pace, her slender form making its way back and forth across his carpet. Her expression seemed to darken with every second that passed.

'What do you mean? That's not right. He couldn't have. He was home at few hours ago. I told him to stay put.'

Crowley tilted his head to the side and frowned. What was going on?'

'Where was I? I just went for a walk.' Tears started dripping down her face as she listened to whoever was on the other end of the phone and her voice grew shaky. 'Okay. I'll be back soon. On my way home right now. Just give me twenty minutes.' She gulped slightly and her tone hardened. 'No I can't get there any faster, I'm all the way down at the Point.' The tears were flowing freely now, and Athaya tried hard not to sob. 'Of course I'll phone you when I'm close. Okay…bye.'

Crowley was standing by now. He didn't like the way the conversation had ended.

Athaya put the phone down and turned to him, her face stricken with grief. She took a deep breath of air and her chest convulsed as she tried to keep the sobs in. 'I'm…' She choked her words out with great difficulty. She swallowed thickly and brushed some of the tears away. 'I'm going…to need to sign that deal now.'

**AN:**** Duhn duhn DUUUUUUHN. What was the call about? You'll just have to wait and see...*evil laugh* I do love writing cliffhangers! xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:**** Hiya guys! I want to say thanks to everyone who has been reading/reviewing my story – it means a lot to me. This is the super short chapter I was talking about, but the next one's really quite long, so I'll upload that later today just because I love you all! The chapters ****_might_**** be coming at a slightly slower pace soon – schoolwork and all – but I'll try to make them slightly longer too!**

** To KatieMarrie: I'm so glad you've been enjoying my story. I totally agree. Crowley's the best baddie out there. Hopefully I've been keeping him pretty much in character!**

** If anyone has any questions, please review/PM me. I'd love to discuss things! (Although I have to keep ****_some_**** of my secrets) **

**Xxx**

**~Fen~**

Chapter Five:

Athaya sat up as soon as her phone rang.

_Okay. This is it. This phone call is about whatever went wrong. Don't let it get to you. You can fix it…whatever it is._

She pulled it out of her pocket and held a hand up to Crowley.

'Hold on. Give me a minute.' She stood up and walked to the other side of the room as she answered the phone.

'Hi,' she said quickly, wanting to get it over and done with.

'_Hi, Aya is that you_?' Athaya's mother sounded stressed over the phone, like she'd been crying.

'Uh…yeah. It's me. What is it?' She asked cautiously.

'_Now…this wasn't your fault, but…when I got home, Max was missing_.' Her mother sounded pained.

'What do you mean? That's not right.'

'_Well he was missing, and we sent out a full search party…_' Her mother took a deep, shuddering breath. '_They found him, washed up on the rocks_.'

Athaya went cold. She felt as though her world was ending. 'He couldn't have,' she said slowly. 'He was home a few hours ago!'

'_Well he must have wandered off and slipped on the rocks. The paramedics say he bumped his head and was knocked unconscious. They found Felix howling by the spot where he must have vanished off the edge._'

'I told him to stay put…' Athaya moaned. It was all her fault. If she'd never gone looking for a way to stop the catastrophe, to look for a demon…the event wouldn't have even happened. She should have been looking after her little brother.

'_Where were you, Aya? Where did you go_?' Athaya started crying now. It was completely her fault.

'Where was I…?' Athaya racked her brain for a convincing excuse in between gulping for air. 'I…just went for a walk.'

'_Well…I guess he followed you. He must have gotten out the back door. I found it unlocked._' Her mother sounded so sad, Athaya tried to hold back sobs.

Athaya was sure she had locked it…but then again…she'd had other things on her mind. Mainly finding a demon and persuading it to make a deal.

_All my fault._

'_It wasn't your fault Athaya,_' her mother's voice was kind, but strong. '_Don't you dare think that. You go for walks all the time. He just managed to get the door open._'

She'd read her mind. Athaya couldn't believe her mother wasn't blaming her. Of _course_ she was to blame! Her brother was _dead _because she left him.

But all she said was: 'Okay. I'll be back soon. Just give me twenty minutes,' in a hollow, sad voice. If she let any more emotion show, she'd never be able to stop it. She'd overflow.

'_Do you think you could get home sooner?_'

'No, I can't get there any faster,' Athaya said blankly, 'I'm all the way down at the Point.'

'_Okay, fine. That's okay. Just get here as soon as you can…and give me a call when you're close._'

Athaya's tone softened. 'Of course I'll phone you when I'm close.'

'_Thank you sweetie. Make sure you…stay safe_.' Her mother's voice was so scared and sad, Athaya's heart couldn't help but break.

'Okay…Bye.'

And she hung up the phone.

**AN:**** Sorry about the shortness, but I hope there's an air of mystery now. Who was the woman on the phone? Didn't Athaya say her mum was killed by Azazel? What will happen from here? I'll upload the next chapter as soon as I finish it! xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:**** Hope everyone's still interested, and here's the next chapter – as promised! J Happy reading!**

**Xxx**

**~Fen~**

Chapter Six:

When Athaya had been talking on the phone, it hadn't been to her literal mother. Her real mother was dead – as she'd said to Crowley earlier. The woman on the phone had been her stepmother.

Her stepmother – Rachel – had been Athaya's mother for nearly sixteen years, so there wasn't any distinction. Athaya had hardly known her biological mother when she died – and that didn't make it hurt any less – but compared to the memories of a month-year-old baby…The only stories Athaya had of her real mum came from her dad. Her step-mum had been her mother for her entire life. She was the one who had brought her up. Rachel was her brother's mother, had loved the two of them unconditionally as her children…and that was more than good enough for Athaya. She'd never thought of Rachel as anything other than her mum.

Athaya turned to Crowley sadly and tried to remember that she could still fix this. 'I'm…' The words got caught in her throat and she struggled through, wiping some of the tears from her face. 'I'm going…to need to use your pen now.'

Crowley shook his head slightly. 'What happened?'

'Nothing…just a minor issue that I can fix as soon as I sign the deal.' Athaya could feel herself starting to hyperventilate, despite her attempts to calm down.

'Darling, it's evident from your expression that it's more than just a minor issue. Tell me what's wrong.' Crowley took a step towards her just as she fell to a kneeling position, trying to breathe.

'Breathe, Athaya,' Crowley said calmly and knelt beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder gently and repeated himself. 'Just breathe.'

Athaya gasped for breaths of air and closed her eyes tightly, trying to regain control.

_It's okay. You can fix this. It will be okay. Just calm down._

She thought of her little brother smiling, playing with their kelpie Felix, on the beach. Max's sandy, blonde hair shining gold in the sun as he splashed through the waves. Her mother – Rachel – and father lying on towels as they watched him have fun, smiling at their little boy.

Athaya would save him. She had to.

'I just…' She took a deep breath, regaining some control. 'It's my little brother. Max. He…must have tried to follow me when I went outside down to find you…and he went too close to the edge of one of the rock outcrops…and he…' She looked up at Crowley and stifled a sob. 'And he fell and drowned.'

'Jesus, Athaya, I'm sorry.' Athaya could tell he was genuinely sorry for her sadness, and he tried to make her feel better. 'But remember…we can still make this okay.'

She nodded, 'I know…I know…it's just…he was eight, you know? And he died because I was too busy trying to figure out a way to _stop_ him from dying. If I'd just let go of the feeling I got…' She shrugged hopelessly, '_Ignored_ it…Then it wouldn't have happened.'

Crowley's tone softened. 'It wasn't your fault, Athaya. You couldn't have known he would have died. And just because you left…doesn't make it your fault. You were trying to do the right thing.'

She let out a shaky breath and pulled a tissue out of her pocket, rubbing her eyes and dabbing her nose gently. 'I still should have _felt_ something. Anything. Even just when I saw him last. I should have been able to tell he was in danger. What's the use in having a power when it fails you when you need it most?'

'It didn't fail you. If it had failed you, you wouldn't be here now. You'd be grieving a dead brother back home, with no hope of saving him. Just because he died while you went to find me doesn't mean something else wouldn't have happened. Things have a way of going wrong, no matter what you do. Something else would have happened to him. Then you'd really be lost.'

Athaya frowned uncertainly, not wanting to think about it too much. 'Are you sure?'

'Of course I'm not sure,' he said honestly. 'But I _am_ the king of the crossroads. So let's make this deal and save your brother, shall we?' Crowley gestured to the parchment on his desk and Athaya accepted his hand as he helped her back up. She wiped away the last of her tears and sat back down in her chair. Throwing the tissue in a bin, she looked at Crowley, her strength and passion returning somewhat.

'So…you'll save my brother Max, if I give my soul to you?'

'Yes. And whenever Azazel comes for you, I'll find you and keep your soul safe.'

'_If_ you can,' Athaya interjected and Crowley nodded slowly.

'If I can.'

'Well alright then.' Athaya picked up the pen and then stopped, the point frozen a few inches away from the paper. 'Wait.' She looked at Crowley confusedly. 'Won't people notice if my brother just gets up again? After being pronounced drowned? Dead without a doubt? Even if they buy it, he'll be studied as a freak for the rest of his life.'

Crowley frowned. 'Hmm. Fair point. I can fix that for you, if you like.'

'How?'

He held his hand out for the pen and Athaya gave it to him without hesitation. She trusted him to do what was right.

He scanned the document until he found what he was looking for. 'Since the outcome of suspicion and overreaction are inevitable, the memories of all persons associated with the death of one Max…?' He looked at Athaya and she nodded in understanding.

'Max Lowry. Son of Rachel and Carter Lowry.'

'Is that…?'

'Scottish? Yes. On my Dad's side.'

Crowley smiled. 'A girl after my own heart,' he said before writing her brother's name on the deal. He grew silent and Athaya sat patiently, waiting for him to tell her the details of his plan.

'So…what's your great idea?' Athaya said after a minute of silence, in which Crowley had been intently writing something down. He looked up suddenly, as if he'd forgotten about her presence.

'Yes. You should probably know the specifics.'

'I thought I made it clear that I wouldn't be doing business with you unless I did.' She said with a raised eyebrow and he laughed.

'Right. You certainly are quite the businesswoman.' He picked up the script and scanned over it once more before explaining. 'Basically, anyone who knew about your brother's death, who looked into it, who even _heard_ about it….will forget. Nobody has to know it ever happened. Your brother himself won't remember a thing, nor will your parents. Nobody who was ever linked with it will remember that he died.'

'What about me?' Athaya asked curiously. 'I want to be able to remember.'

Crowley looked at her strangely. 'You sure? It's not the healthiest memory to have, remembering your brother's death.'

'Well…I want to be able to remember why I'm going to do…what I'm going to do.'

Something in her voice told Crowley she wasn't talking about the deal.

'What are you going to do?' he asked cautiously.

'I'm going to run away.'

'_What?_' Whatever Crowley had been expecting, it wasn't that. 'You're going to do what?'

Athaya nodded slightly, 'I'm going to run away. You said it yourself: Azazel will find me. I can't risk him killing any more of the people I love. He already killed my mum. I didn't even know her, and it still kills me. But this family that I have now…they're _my_ family. I won't let him touch any of them just to get to me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing they were hurt because of me.'

Crowley weighed her evenly for a moment. 'You're serious about this, aren't you?' Once again, the girl had surprised him. Most people her age would break and run scared. He'd seen people run and tell others everything supernatural that had happened in the hopes of saving themselves, and then get sent to the loony bin for being delusional.

'Of course I'm serious. It might break their hearts, but I have to do it. No one else is dying because of me.' Athaya stared at Crowley severely.

After a moment, he shrugged. 'Fine. They'll never understand though.'

'But I could never tell them, anyway. They'd think I was crazy…So that isn't really a problem.'

'Well…you could always fake your death,' Crowley suggested quietly.

Athaya frowned. The thought had never occurred to her.

'Then if Azazel came looking for you though them…he'd end up with nothing because you would be dead. They couldn't give him anything. He wouldn't need them. _And _if it makes it to the newspapers – which is easy enough – we can make sure he _knows_ you're dead too. Buy you some time to get the hell out of dodge.' Crowley continued.

'I…could do that.' Athaya looked happy for the first time since the phone call. 'How do you suggest I – '

'We already have a perfectly good story,' the demon said with a sly smile. 'Perhaps we won't remove the memories of the people involved with your brother's death…more _alter._'

Athaya's frown cleared when she realised what he was suggesting. 'Make them think it was me who drowned and not Max?'

Crowley grinned. 'There you go, darling. I said you were smart.'

Athaya smiled at his compliment briefly before frowning once again. She looked at the deal between herself and the demon and nodded after several minutes of deep thought.

'Do it. I die, they live.'

'Good girl. That's the option I would have gone with.'

Crowley quickly amended his previous notes on the contract and then stopped. 'All done. As well as the resurrection of Max Lowry, any recollection of Max Lowry dying shall be replaced by the faked death of Athaya Lowr – ' Athaya cut him short, stopping him before he continued.

'My last name's Woolfe. I took my mum's maiden name. Something to remember her by at least.' The teenager said quietly as she stared at the paper, not looking up.

Crowley raised an eyebrow slightly. What an interesting girl. 'Alright. Replaced by the faked death of Athaya _Woolfe_ from the current date onwards.' He shrugged. 'Essentially, that's what I've written.'

Athaya smiled in gratitude. 'Thanks.'

'Not at all. So…are you ready to make this happen?'

'Of course I am. Give me the pen and I'll sign away.'

'You know, _usually _most people aren't so quick to sell their soul to the devil.'

'Well I'm not selling my soul to the _devil_. Not if everything works out. I'm selling it to _you._'

Crowley leant back in his chair and gave her a devious smile. 'But what do you really _know _about me, love? Not a whole lot, I'd venture to say.'

Athaya focused on him intently. 'Well. You're a demon who doesn't usually deal with children, you believe in promises, deals and doing anything to benefit yourself. You'll go to great lengths to acquire an object you deem useful or an asset, and you're quite impressed by me. I wouldn't say I know a _lot…_but certainly enough for me to make a deal with you.' By the time she had finished, Crowley was staring at her strangely. After a moment, his mouth twitched up into a smile, which then evolved into a roaring laugh.

Athaya looked at him with an expression of puzzlement and amusement. 'What? I'm just telling the truth.'

Crowley eventually stopped laughing long enough to speak. 'That you are. Quite brilliantly, too. You're definitely not wrong. That's me, alright. Self-absorbed to the last.'

'Well then, why are you laughing?'

'Because of your deliverance. You make me sound like some kind of…human.'

'And you find that funny?'

'Well, yes. Because I'm not.' Crowley sobered slightly. 'Nobody's even _suggested _I was anything other than a demon for at least a century. I'm not a human, Athaya, don't forget that…Or I think you'll find yourself at a disadvantage in our dealings together.' He continued at Athaya's enquiring look. 'Listen, it's not that I'm not flattered – I am – but don't paint me to be a saint. I'm far from it, alright?'

Her expression didn't change. 'Of course I understand. I never assumed anything. I know you're a demon. I'm not an idiot. I just happen to think you're one of the different ones.' She relaxed slightly and picked up the pen from the table.

'Different?' Crowley said, outraged, some of his old humour returning.

'Doesn't matter,' Athaya said with a shake of her head. She pointed at the contract in front of her, 'Shall we? I need to go and get my things before my parents get home from the police station.'

'Of course.' Crowley was amazed at how calmly Athaya contemplated faking her own death. The girl scanned over the document one final time before signing her name neatly at the bottom of the page. She sat up and slumped back into her chair with a sigh of relief as Crowley signed his name too.

'So…That's it?' Athaya asked hopefully.

'That's it. As of now, your parents are grieving the death of their daughter Athaya Woolfe after her brother Max went for a walk and she went to find him. She slipped on the rocks and fell to drown in the sea. The brother was walking along the beach with the dog when the police found him. They probably won't be home for another few hours, and tomorrow morning, your story will be head news. Congratulations.'

'Congratulations for what?'

'You, Athaya Woolfe, are legally dead.'


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:**** The next two chapters don't have so much happening in them, but some interesting obstacle arise and are resolved(ish). Hope everyone enjoys where the story is heading! Thanks to everyone for your reviews and just for taking the time to read! **

**Xxx**

**~Fen~**

Chapter Seven:

'Why is that strangely reassuring?' Athaya asked jokingly as she leant back in her chair.

'Because you know your family is safe.' Crowley said honestly. 'Your brother is alive, and if Azazel _does_ come looking for you – even though you're dead – all he'll find is a family with a missing daughter.'

'That really _is_ reassuring…' Athaya stretched her arms above her head and yawned loudly.

'I'm sorry. Do you have somewhere important to be? Am I keeping you from something?' Crowley asked sarcastically as he glanced her over.

Athaya resettled in the chair and closed her eyes. 'No. I'm just really tired. And I'm trying to delay going back home. I don't want to go and pack my bags for a final time. I don't want to leave my family forever, but hey. That's life, I guess.'

'Them's the breaks, darling. Unfortunately, you're signed into this forever. Imagine what would happen if you _did_ reveal yourself to your parents. They'd think they were seeing a ghost.'

'I can never go back,' Athaya summarised dully. She sighed and was just starting to drift off when a strange gurgling sound filled the room.

'Blimey. What the bloody hell was that?' Crowley asked, looking around for the culprit.

Athaya blushed slightly and pulled a face. 'That…was my stomach. I'm hungry, apparently.'

'Well, you did mention you didn't have much time for eating before you summoned me,' Crowley said fairly.

'It seems like I've regained my appetite. And my want for sleep. Just when I don't have the time…' Athaya said wistfully.

'Yes. I do think it's time to go. It'll take you a while to get your affairs in order, won't it?'

Athaya stared off into nothing, 'You'd be surprised, actually. It'll probably take me ten minutes, tops. I can't take anything that they'd notice. A change of clothes. A couple of favourite things, maybe…food.' Her voice was devoid of emotion as she accepted that she had to leave everything she'd ever known. All the things she'd ever loved. Her dog. Her family.

Athaya felt a tear slip down her cheek and she brushed it away quickly, not wanting Crowley to see. She was tough. Tough enough to survive this and move on with her life.

At least she hoped so.

Athaya stood up and Crowley followed. 'You ready to go, then?'

She stared thoughtfully around the vast office and then smiled. 'Let's get this over with.'

'I'll drop you off home, and then if there's anywhere else you want to go, let me know.'

Athaya thought for a moment and then said. 'Yeah. I might think of someplace. Maybe Hawaii…'

'It's not that great, trust me.'

'Okay. Not Hawaii then.'

Crowley paused. 'You trust me that much? You'll just take my word for it?'

Athaya shrugged. 'What reason would you have to lie? It's not like there's some kind of apocalyptic plan taking place in Hawaii that you don't want me to know about, right?'

'Uh, no. Not that I'm aware of.'

'Then, yes. I trust your judgement. To a certain extent.'

'Careful there, darling. You're on the verge of trusting a demon; not something I would recommend. Demons are liars.'

'Huh. And then there's you. The semi-honest, slightly trustworthy, promise-keeping king of the crossroads.'

'And then there's me. What can I say? Somebody's got to be the black sheep of the family.'

'That's an understatement,' Athaya grinned. 'But anyway. We should get going.'

'Yes. We should.' Crowley reached out to put his hand on Athaya's elbow and they were suddenly back at the crossroads.

'Which one's your house?' Crowley asked as Athaya only stumbled slightly this time. Once she'd regained her balance, she looked around, observing her surroundings and taking in the dirt road and ocean. It was just after dawn now, the sun peeking its head above the horizon, painting the sky a canvas of pinks and oranges.

'It's…uh, the one up on the hill. Up there.' She pointed inland, and up at one of the rising land formations. It was a brick house with a wide backyard facing the sea sat in a small alcove, and that's where Athaya found herself two seconds later.

'Whoa! A little warning would be appreciated, Crowley,' she growled and reached out to grab a wall next to her for support. They were in the kitchen.

'Sorry love, time is of the essence. I do think we spent a little too long talking about my personality. Not that it isn't a fascinating subject – I often spend hours thinking about it myself, bu – '

Athaya cut him off. 'Shh! I can hear someone.' She held a finger to her lips and stuck her head cautiously out from behind the door that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house.

It was her dog.

'Felix! Shh, boy. Don't bark. Hey, it's just me!' Athaya quickly glanced around, making sure no other family members were there, before she ran over to the family kelpie and knelt on the ground.

'Hey Schnooka. How're you doing? Someone must have dropped you off home. I'm sorry, but I gotta go.' She gave him a rub around his ears and his tail thumped against the ground softly. Athaya peeked out the window and saw that the family car was gone.

Good. That meant they must still have been at the police station.

Athaya beckoned Crowley with her hand and he walked over to her from the kitchen.

'What did you just call the creature? Schnooka?' he said in mild disgust, looking down at the puppy.

'It's a pet nickname. You wouldn't understand.'

'Oh, I understand perfectly, Princess.'

Athaya stopped petting her dog and looked up at him with a suspicious glare. 'Did you just call me _princess?_ Really? I thought _I_ was supposed to be the immature teenager.

'It's a _pet nickname_, darling.' He mimicked her tone and she scowled at him in irritation.

'Fine. I don't have time to argue. I need to pack.' She stood up and walked towards the back of the house until she came to her bedroom.

'Right you are, Princess,' Crowley said as he followed her, ignoring the second glare that Athaya sent his way.

'Give me five minutes, okay?' She said and closed the door to her bedroom in his face.

'That's charming. You really _are_ a princess,' he murmured cynically.

'I heard that!' Came Athaya's slightly muffled response.

'Why can't I come it?' He asked slightly louder.

'Because I'm a teenager, and it's my bedroom. What do you _want_ to come in?' She enquired worriedly.

'Ah. Fair point. I'll be fine out here, actually.'

'That's what I thought.'

He didn't last long. To say the king of the crossroads was impatient would be an understatement. 'How long are you going to be?' Crowley said after a few seconds.

'Why? Have you got somewhere important to be? Am I _keeping_ you from something?' Athaya said, mirroring his questions to her from earlier.

'Oi, you better watch it, Princess. As it happens, I have _very_ important business to attend to, business that doesn't concern annoying teenagers.'

'I thought you said I was brilliant?'

'Did I really? I can't recall.'

'Bollocks. That's bull.'

Crowley chuckled. 'Perhaps I should wait outside?'

'That sounds like a good idea. I'm about to leave my home forever. I need to concentrate on what I need to bring. You're making that difficult.'

'Why Princess…am I distracting you?' He asked coyly.

'No. You could _never._' Athaya said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

'Alright, alright. I know when I'm not wanted. See you out the back.' Crowley vanished from outside her bedroom door and appeared on her back porch, where he sat down on one of the deck chairs.

Back in her room, Athaya was busy going through her things as neatly as possible – not wanting to make a suspicious mess. Every now and then she'd find something of small value that she'd toss into the bottom of her backpack. She packed a few changes of clothes, grabbed the contents of her piggy-bank – just under two-thousand – and her purse. She had a credit card, but her account was empty. She'd drained the account the other day when she got a feeling, transferring her money to her bedroom piggybank. Her parents would just think she'd gone on a shopping splurge. Her purse had a further $50 in it and some small change. Somehow she'd have get fake ID's to replace the ones portraying her as a dead girl.

Athaya had just finished packing all the essentials, going into the kitchen to grab food and water, when she heard something move outside. A car?

The familiar sound of tires on gravel rolling up the drive reached Athaya's ears and she froze.

Her parents were home.

**AN:**** BUM BUM BUUMM. Another cliffie! Haha! Hope you all enjoyed.**

**xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:**** Chapter Eight! The final chapter of this story/prequel story. Unfortunately, this one's slightly more mundane, but in the next segment, it'll be action packed (hopefully) Don't worry, I plan on hopefully uploading as often as before. It's been a lot of fun writing about Athaya as a teenager, but after here, it shall progress to her adulthood. And that's when the real fun starts!**

Chapter Eight:

'Crap!' Athaya swore and bolted for the back door, shoving her water bottle deep inside her grey bag. She grabbed the most recently used handbag in her bedroom – the one with her iPod and lip-balm and other essentials and then stopped. She needed her necklace.

There was a necklace, one that her mother – her biological mother – used to own. Athaya's father had given it to her for her sixth birthday. It was a beautifully made metal rose with a pearl drop hanging from it. Athaya always wore it, but for going down to the beach – like she had that morning – she hadn't.

She remembered she'd left it in the sitting room, right next to the back door, and she ran down the hall for the back of the house just as her parents opened the front door. Athaya could hear them talking quietly and she made for the sitting room door so they wouldn't see her from the other end of the hall.

She dived into the sitting room just before they saw her, and Athaya grabbed the necklace from where it lay on the table, quickly stuffing it into her pocket. She waited until her parents sounded like they were in the kitchen and then darted out the back door. She turned around just as she was closing the screen behind her to take one final look at her childhood home.

And saw her little brother standing in the hall.

Athaya gasped and quickly jumped to the side of the door. Had he seen her? She hoped not.

Crowley stood up next to her immediately, seeing her panicked and opened his mouth to speak but Athaya shook her head fervently.

She stole a quick glance through the screen door to see if her brother was still there…and came face to face with his wide blue-grey eyes staring directly into hers.

Seeing her brother, Crowley grabbed her hand and Athaya snapped 'Go!'

And then they were gone.

Athaya gasped as the cold shot straight through her body and she noticed snow blowing in her face. Her light cardigan was no use in this kind of cold. Neither were her summery denim skirt and thin camisole.

'Holy shit!' She ripped her hand out of Crowley's and wrapped her arms around her sides to try and keep warm. Her backpack fell to the ground, discarded in favour of keeping warm.

Crowley grimaced. 'Sorry. Wasn't really thinking.'

'Where are we?' She shivered and jumped from foot to foot in her strappy sandals.

'Uh…If I'm right…somewhere in Greenland.'

'Greenland? _Greenland?'_ Athaya took a deep breath and said quietly: 'Crowley…' The frozen girl sounded dangerously calm. 'What the hell are we doing in _Greenland?!'_ Athaya was turning blue now, and Crowley quickly shrugged out of his black jacket, offering it to her. She swiftly accepted. After pulling it tight around her and turning the collar up, her tone matched the weather around them. 'And more importantly, what are we _still_ doing in Greenland, Crowley?'

All around them was a rocky, mountain-like countryside, completely white in places where snow had drifted down from the mountains and tiny patches of brown, spindly grass struggled to grow. If you stopped to notice, it was breathtaking.

But mostly Athaya noticed the cold.

'Look, I didn't _mean_ to bring us to Greenland. I just got us out of there as soon as I saw your brother,' Crowley said, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves slightly. 'I wasn't thinking.'

'Well think _now.' _Athaya grabbed his arm and her backpack before they suddenly found themselves in a completely different place.

Athaya was used to travelling demon-style now, and barely moved when they appeared rather abruptly in a wooden cabin. A fire was crackling steadily and the wooden logs of the walls kept in the heat. Athaya rushed to the fire, tossing her bag to the ground, and crouched in front of the flickering flames, relishing the warmth on her hands and face.

'Sorry about that. I just thought of someplace remote and…the rest is history, as they say.'

Athaya sent him a tiny glare and stood up. She could tell it had been an accident, and didn't really mind. She had just been cold.

'So. Where are we now?' She asked, crossing her arms.

'Somewhere in Canada. Just outside Vancouver, if I'm not mistaken.'

'Huh. Canada. Is it cold out?' Athaya didn't want to leave the warmth of the fire to check through the window, but Crowley had no such qualms.

He glanced out the window and smiled slyly. 'Quite. It's snowing a bit.'

'We couldn't have gone somewhere a bit warmer? I only packed summer clothes!'

'I can move us somewhere else, if you want…' he suggested, but Athaya shook her head. She didn't want to owe the demon too many favours. He'd already done a lot for her. She could figure something out.

'No, it's fine. At least it's warm inside. Whose cabin is this?'

'Some couple wanting the winter woodland experience, no doubt. They'll probably be back in an hour or so in this weather.'

'Right. So I should get going soon.' Athaya started pacing, walking back and forth in front of the fire.

Crowley paused. 'You…don't want to talk about what just happened? You _did_ just see your family for the last time. Not to mention your little brother catching you in your grand escape.'

Athaya didn't stop pacing. It was something she did when she was worried or concerned. She remembered her brother's wide, scared eyes staring at her, one question clear and plain:

_How?_

She shook herself free of her dark thoughts and held her hands slightly closer to the fire. 'I…I'm fine, Crowley. My parents will never believe him, even if he _does_ tell them, which he probably won't. He's just a traumatised little kid who imagined seeing his dead sister.' Her voice broke slightly, but she coughed and wrapped Crowley's coat around her tighter, as if it was the only thing holding her together. She seemed to notice she was still wearing it, and started to shrug it off.

'Keep it for now. You need it more than me. Besides. Black suits you.'

She smiled half-heartedly, 'Thanks,' and left it around her shoulders. Crowley sat down in one of the armchairs while Athaya remained standing.

'You sure you don't want – '

'I said I was fine, Crowley. And I will be. I just need to focus on what's happening right now. I can worry about everything else later.'

He held his hands up in acceptance. 'Alright. What do you want to do?'

'Well for starters…I should probably plan where I'll go. I might make my way south from here, down to the US? Maybe get hold of some fake ID's or something. I can't cover up my accent, but I can still say I'm a recently made American citizen. What do you think?' Athaya looked up to find the demon gone.

'Crowley?' She said, turning around to look for him. 'Crowley where are you?'

'I'm here.' His voice came from behind her and when Athaya spun to face him, he was holding a small stack of paper towards her.

'What's this? Where did you go?' She accepted the gift and started sifting through the various documents.

'Well, while I was waiting for you outside, I took it upon myself to see if I could scrounge up some ID for you. A few people owed me favours. I just needed to know what country you wanted to start off in.'

'Oh.' Athaya was touched. 'Thanks, Crowley…that's really…decent of you.'

He shrugged like it was no big deal. 'Careful, Princess. Don't go calling a demon decent. We'll call this water under the bridge. Just don't tell anyone, alright? A reputation is all a demon's got these days.' He pointed to her documents, 'There should be an active bank account there too, which should give you enough to get started somewhere.'

Now he was giving her money? This was never part of the deal. 'Crowley…No offense, but…why are you doing all this?'

'I like to protect my investments. I can't have you spending the rest of your life in prison or get shipped back off home to be thrown into an asylum, now, can I? Then you'd be no use to me at all.'

'Why?'

'I want you to live.' He shrugged and elaborated. 'Generally, I've found people who live their lives properly are much more useful than those who never leave their comfort zones. And after the events that have taken place today…well let's just say…you're going to be _very_ useful.'

'Wow. So…wow. Thanks. I mean it.'

'I know. I can _tell_,' he said with a smirk.

'Hey. Feeling things is _my_ superpower, demon,' she grinned.

'And judging character is mine, Princess.' He grew pensive after a moment, 'But…you're sure you'll be okay? I can drop you off closer to where you're headed if you want.'

'Nah.' Athaya bit her lip in concentration. 'Wait. Maybe you could drop me off in Vancouver? Just so I don't have to walk through the snow?'

'That's fine,' Crowley assessed Athaya's attire momentarily. 'You'll be fine in those clothes?'

'Yes, _Mum,'_ she laughed. 'I'll be fine, seriously. I'll buy something as soon I find a shop. Or maybe…after I buy some food.'

Right on cue, Athaya's tummy growled and made her laugh even more. Crowley crossed his arms and looked at her thoughtfully.

Athaya didn't miss his gaze. 'What's that look for?'

'I'm just marvelling at how well you're taking all this. I mean…how long ago did you get the feeling that something bad was going to happen? And then you just _felt _your way until you found me and discovered that demons are real? That's gotta be harsh.'

'Well yeah…I guess. I only realised I needed to find a demon about three days ago. Until I actually summoned you, I wasn't quite ready to believe that they were real, even though I felt it was true. I was even happy to chalk my 'ability' to just being really observant. Now I know demons exist.'

'That's not the only thing that exists, Princess. There's thousands of different beasties out there, all scrabbling for a piece of this world. It's just that some of us are lucky enough to see them.'

Athaya looked thoughtful for a moment. 'So…ghosts?'

'For sure. But you already knew that, didn't you?'

Athaya smiled. 'Well I do _now._' Her eyes went glazed momentarily and when she came back, she looked slightly haunted. 'So…everything? Everything we're told is imaginary…the stories…it's all true? They're all real?'

'The stories had to come from somewhere, Princess. But not to worry. You'll be safe from them – as long as you stay out of their way.'

'Why?'

'Our deal basically marks you as a 'hands off' piece of property to someone of import. I've put the word out, too. Don't mess with Athaya Woolf, or you're screwed.'

_ Jeez. _'Wow. That's a little terrifying.'

'I'm a very terrifying man.'

'Demon,' Athaya corrected and Crowley grinned.

'Well. If you're all set, I'll leave you. I get the feeling that I might be on the menu soon, if you don't get any food into that stomach of yours.'

Athaya looked severely at her tummy and then up at Crowley. 'That might be a good idea. I'm not sure how long I have until my stomach takes over my brain.'

'My fears exactly. Now brace yourself; it's cold out there. I'll drop you off as near to a shop as I can.'

'Ta. Oh…and thank you for your service…Your Majesty,' Athaya said with a slight curtsy.

'Watch it,' Crowley growled.

'Hey, if you get to call me Princess, then I figure your actual title isn't nearly as bad. People would actually call you that, I assume?'

'Yes, but usually it's coming from other demons. With you it's just…plain rude.'

'My point exactly,' she smiled as she put her hand on his forearm.

Athaya blinked, and found that when she opened her eyes, she was standing in yet another different place. Crowley dusted a fleck of snow from his black shirt and stepped under an overhang covering part of the small alleyway they were standing in.

Athaya remained out in the open, pulling her backpack on over Crowley's jacket. He winced, 'Careful with that. That's worth more than the entire contents of your bag. Show some respect.'

Athaya on hiked her bag up higher. 'Relax. In twenty minutes time, I'll be fully clothed and warm in new clothes. Until then, deal with it. I'll get it dry-cleaned for you.'

'Keep it. As a reminder of our deal.'

'Like I could forget,' Athaya scoffed.

'True. I _do_ make an impression,' he said modestly.

'Hah!' She barked and pulled at the edges of the backpack, making sure everything was as it should be. Lastly, she pulled her mother's necklace from her pocket and fastened it around her neck, the pendant falling to rest against her breastbone. It looked like it had always been there, which Athaya supposed it had. It was a part of her. Something special.

'Right then. I guess this is it.'

'This is what?' Crowley inquired.

'This is when I start my new life. It's going to take a while, but I'll meet some people who'll lend a hand along the way.'

'How do you know?'

'I feel it.'

'Right. I forgot about that.'

'You should stop doing that. Because remember: I'm not human either.'

Crowley shook his head slowly. 'No. You're something different, aren't you?'

'I guess we'll find out. But in the meanwhile, take care of yourself, Your Majesty. You're special too.'

Now it was Crowley's turn to laugh. 'I whole-heartedly agree.'

'I thought you might,' Athaya smirked. 'You don't strike me as a normal demon.'

'Why?' he inquired. 'You said I was different earlier. Did you _feel_ it, Princess?' He teased.

Athaya turned and started to walk away. Before she did though, she shook her head.

'Nah. I _know_ it,' she said with a wink.

**AN:**** Tada! That's the end of that little segment/backstory. This was all set in the past, eight years prior to season one/two. Tell me what you thought about Athaya, and her relationship with Crowley. If you want to swing any ideas by me, I'll give them some consideration, but hopefully (the way I've planned it) she'll end up being a badass, and probably bump into our two favourite brothers along the way too! **

**Azazel will feature a little more as well, but more towards the end of the next segment, which I'll probably upload as a sequel story called 'Living'.**

**The next part in the story will take place in the 'present' (somewhere during season two, but before Sam is 'recruited' by Yellow Eyes) and then it will move on from there. **

**Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing, but have no fear: the story is ****_far_**** from over! It's only just beginning! Mwahaha…**

**Thanks to , KatieMarrie, Marloweee1856, katie131925, esdertytg and Arlaeflores for the lovely reviews, I'm looking forward to writing more!**

**Xxx**

**~Fen~**


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